


Avatar of the Southern Water Tribe

by itsjustmeoverhere



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Avatar Katara (Avatar), Canon Rewrite, Canonical Character Death, Eventual Relationships, F/M, Fantasy, Gen, Non-Graphic Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:54:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25424959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsjustmeoverhere/pseuds/itsjustmeoverhere
Summary: After the death of Avatar Roku and Firelord Sozin, the world entered an extended era of peace in the capable hands of Avatar Aang. But imbalance arose swiftly upon his passing and by time the next Avatar is discovered in the Southern Water Tribe, the world is on the brink of all out war. Katara is a great waterbender, but when tragedy strikes at home, it's up to only her and her brother Sokka to find the path for her to become a fully realized Avatar.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 23





	Avatar of the Southern Water Tribe

_Roku felt that familiar surge of chi that lifted him off the ridge of the erupting volcano. His old bones and withered muscles felt young again as his vision burst into blue light, allowing him to see more than what was in front of him. He saw the past, present, and future, the consequences of his own failures. The world on fire because of his weak spot for a once dear friend, turned bloodthirsty overlord. No more._

_"Sozin, you have escaped judgement in the past in the name of friendship." Roku's voice boomed with a hundred different cadences, rising to the level of the firelord on top of his dragon. Toxic fumes swirled around them both in a gust of air, lava bursting in small explosions behind the avatar. "Today you will face that judgement." Sozin's terrified features twisted into rage, but his blast of fire did nothing against his impending doom. He felt the fumes rising around him, choking him and causing his dragon to weaken beneath him. They landed hard on the rock below, poison filling his lungs with every breath._

_"Roku... My friend... Please..."_

_The Avatar's determination flickered, as did the blue light in his eyes, before fading all together. Roku's body dropped to the side of the mountain, weak from the fumes now that he was out of the avatar state. He looked upon his friend with great sadness, the man wordlessly pleading with him to save his life as he choked to death._

_"I know now, what I must do." Roku rasped, and with the last of his strength he called to the lava which boiled behind him. And the lava answered. A great explosion shook the earth beneath them, fire and ash raining down from the volcano, and the last thing Roku saw was his friend being engulfed in molten rock._

Katara startled awake with a gasp, sitting up on her cot and letting the furs fall off of her. Sweat dripped near her temple and snaked down her cheek. With a grunt of annoyance she forced herself up out of bed and stepped out into the frosty night air to cool off. The final battle between Avatar Roku and Firelord Sozin had been well documented in the histories of every nation, but that didn't explain why she kept having these nightmares.

Gran-Gran had told her stories of the avatar who followed Roku, Avatar Aang. He was a great man, an airbender from the Southern Air Temple, who ushered in nearly a century of peace. Since his death, unrest had been growing in the west, the Fire Nation had never truly settled after the death of Sozin. Avatar Aang had kept Azulon in line, and when Firelord Iroh took the throne things finally seemed at peace. But in the decade or so since Aang's passing, Ozai, Iroh's younger brother, had overthrown him.

Ozai was not interested in peace. He had been organizing raids on the Northern and Southern water tribes. He was capturing and killing waterbenders, there were murmurs he was looking for the next Avatar.

Perhaps this was the reason for her nightmares. Perhaps it was just the anxiety working it's way into her subconscious while she slept. In her heart Katara knew it was more than that though. She knew what the tribe's elders had not yet told her. She knew that she was the next Avatar. Her sixteenth birthday was still several months away, but she couldn't fathom why they were waiting for the traditional date to tell her. Especially with what was going on in the world.

In the last few years, she had trained fiercely in waterbending, alongside the best benders in her tribe. They defended themselves well against the attacks of the Fire Navy. Katara was a prodigy, a quick learner, and a powerful waterbender. It was a week ago now, she had been studying the documents of history her parents had insisted she be tutored in. Why they cared so much about formal education had always eluded her, no one else in their tribe did, not with the raids going on. Hakoda and Kya would tell her it was because she was the daughter of the chief, but not even Sokka spent so much time learning the history of the four nations.

This particular day she was looking at scrolls of airbending forms and Air Nomad culture. Mixed in with the other pieces of parchment was an epitaph of sorts, written for Avatar Aang. There, printed at the bottom, was the day of the Avatar's death.

The day of her birth.

Her mother had always told her that her birth had been a very special one. It was the night of the winter solstice and a full moon, two cosmic events where waterbenders thrived. As a child, Kya would take Katara into her arms and tell her stories of the moon spirit, _Tui_. A feminine force of power who could destroy the world if she desired, but instead used her power to bring balance and life. Had Kya really been talking about the moon? Or something, some _one_ else?

A shiver ran up Katara's spine. Her thin nightclothes weren't made to stand outside in the snow. She was about to turn and go back in, when a different thought occurred to her. She already knew the forms and theories, perhaps she just needed the proper motivation. The young waterbender trudged out into the frozen tundra that was her home, making for the nearby stable.

"Come on Kiri, we're going for a ride." Katara smoothed her hand over the muzzle of her snow leopard caribou, who purred and nudged her hand in return. Leaving the saddle behind for such a short journey, they made for the edge of her village, and then a little further, where there would be fewer distractions.

There she performed the most basic firebending stances until every inch of her body trembled from the cold. Frozen and frustrated she flung her arms outward, shooting snow into icy spindles in every direction.

Maybe she was wrong.

 _No._ Something inside of her whispered. _Breathe._

She listened, feeling her breath as it entered her chest and then left her body. Cold air turned warm as settled inside of her. As she focused on that warmth she felt it travel, extending to her frozen limbs and chasing away the numbness. Katara grinned and lifted her palm, trying to visualize a flame sparking from her tingling fingers.

**_BOOM_ **

The ground shook. Kiri startled onto her paws with a roar and Katara spun around. Smoke rose from the distant village. Without a second thought Katara threw herself onto Kiri's strong back and the snow leopard caribou bounded forward. Several more explosions shook the earth as they raced for the village and she could feel the unnatural heat as they drew closer. With a fluid wave of her arms, a ramp of ice emerged from the frozen ground, allowing her and Kiri to easily vault the protective wall.

Huts burned, igloos were piles of icy slush, and a few of the larger buildings toward the center of the village were partially collapsed in smoking rubble. The northern side of the wall had been blown apart and fire nation soldiers, both on foot and in metal crawlers, spewed into the village in a roar of flame. This was a recent settlement, built up further inland over the last couple years so they would be out of range of the Firenavy ships. It seemed Firelord Ozai had compensated. The metal beasts launched destructive balls of fire, taking down building after building in their vicious onslaught just as the sun peeked over the horizon.

The air was thick with smoke and the screams of her people. Katara yelled for the helpless to make for the caves as she bolted past, but she couldn't stop. She would be of more help at the front lines. A ferocious battle already raged by the time Katara and her beast skid into the northern quarter. Water Tribe warriors, benders and non-benders alike, fought side by side. Working to dismantle the metal atrocities that were destroying the village while combating soldiers and blasts of fire. She jumped right into the slurry, quite literally as Kiri leaped on top one of the machines.

Katara drew water from the frozen ground and let it flow into every crack and crevice, filling the metal plates. With a sharp flick of her wrists the water froze solid, expanding and causing the metal beast to sputter and groan, then stop all together. A Fire Nation soldier blasted through the ice-sealed hatch and Katara froze his hands together then knocked him down with a simple water whip. Several other waterbenders followed her example to take out the machines as the non-benders, including her brother and father, fought to keep the foot-soldiers at bay. They were managing to hold their ground, not allowing the Fire Nation army to advance on the village, but it was a slow and grueling task. There was no way they could hold out indefinitely, but hopefully long enough for the rest of the village to flee to safety.

It finally seemed like the tide was turning in the Water Tribe's favor, they had disabled many of the metal contraptions and a plethora of soldiers were encapsulated in ice, unconscious, or otherwise incapacitated with their wounds. Without warning the ice wall exploded in a mess of icy splinters and flame, the impact shook the earth violently, knocking many Water Tribe and Fire Nation alike to the ground. As the dusting of ice and smoke settled their doom became devastatingly clear. The village was surrounded on every side by the Fire Army, they were woefully outnumbered.

"Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe." A voice boomed above the rumble and roar of fire. The tone was mocking, clearly believing the title was a pittance wasted on Water Tribe savages. "I have something that belongs to you."

Commander Zhao stood in line with his legion of firebenders, holding onto a struggling Water Tribe woman with a blade pointed at her throat. He could have easily threatened her with fire, but Zhao liked the finality of the blade. It sent a clear message.

"Mom!" Katara cried out, unable to help herself at the sight of a knife held to Kya's throat. Her mother had been helping evacuate the village, had anyone got out safe?

"Katara hush." Hakoda whispered harshly, moving to stand beside his daughter with a restraining hand on her shoulder. He couldn't afford an outburst and she wasn't exactly known for her restraint. His eyes bored into Zhao's over the expanse of ice separating them.

"You will unequivocally surrender, and then you will tell me the whereabouts of the young Avatar. After which I _might_ return your wife unharmed."

"Don't-!" Kya tried to yell, but Zhao silenced her with a tightening of his curved dagger against her throat.

"If you refuse, I will not hesitate to kill each and every one of you, bender and non-bender, down to the last child." The even tone of his voice made the threat all the more poignant. Even from a distance he could see Kya's shining blue eyes, but they held no fear, only resolve. Pain gripped Hakoda's chest.

"You have our surrender, Commander, but I know nothing of the Avatar's identity or whereabouts." There was no trace of deceit in his voice, and yet Zhao knew he was lying.

"Wrong answer." With a cruel twist of his mouth, Zhao drew the blade across the woman's throat. There was a flash of red and then Kya crumpled to the frozen ground, lifeless.

The screeching hardly sounded human and it took a moment for Katara to realize it was coming from her own throat. There was a surge of power unlike anything she had ever felt as the world around her brightened, every tiny detail heightened in her senses. A slurry of wind, water, and snow lifted her off the ground. She could suddenly feel every drop of water, every splinter of ice between her and the horizon. She saw the tiny man standing over her mother's corpse, she saw the fear that quickly turned to action as he ordered his men to attack. They, however, would never get the chance.

With a deadly and concise wave of the waterbender's arms, the ice fractured underneath the Fire Nation army. The frozen ground opened up on all sides of the village, swallowing dozens of soldiers at a time. Mad panic swept through the ranks as every person scrambled to find safe footing. Loud _cracks_ split the air as the gaps widened into gorges; her rage and anguish surged. Fire Nation soldiers ran for the safety of their ships, but even if they made it across several miles of open ice, they would fare worse on the sea.

"Katara." A hand wrapped around her ankle. Her head snapped towards the intrusion. The lines of rage set in her features combined with the azure glow of her eyes was truly terrifying, but Sokka didn't let go. Tears stained the young warrior's face as he looked up at his little sister, lost to her anguish. The light in her eyes shuttered and faded, leaving her utterly spent as the surge of power died out. Katara collapsed on the ice, unconscious.

Hakoda gave a sharp whistle, summoning Kiri to him. He carefully lifted his daughter and draped her over the animal's back.

"Sokka, I need you to take your sister and head due west for our sister village. Take a boat north from there to the Southern Air Temple." It was an order from the chief, Hakoda was in duty mode.

"Dad..." The young man's voice broke. The older man's strong facade cracked a little, as a couple tears slid down his face. He pulled his son into a bone crushing hug.

"I know, son." They both sniffled and wiped their faces, pulling out of the hug. Hakoda placed both of his hands on Sokka's shoulders. "Katara needs you, and the world needs her. You _must_ protect her." Sokka gave a nod, shouldering the burden of his sister's safety, of the _Avatar's_ safety, like a true warrior.

"I will."

"The monks will know what to do." Hakoda squeezed his son's shoulders. This was easily the hardest thing he ever had to endure, but he couldn't leave his tribe. Not yet.

"What about the jerkbenders?" Sokka tilted his jaw in the direction the Fire Army had fled with a slight crack of humor in his voice.

"Their numbers were decimated, they won't return." Hakoda didn't have to add 'not today at least', they both knew there were no guarantees in the future. Sokka hugged his dad once more, trying to keep himself together.

"I love you, Dad." Hakoda smiled, though his eyes were sad as he touched Sokka's cheek.

"Your mother and I-" He had to clear his throat in order to continue. "Are so proud of you. Of both of you." He looked over at Katara, his little girl, who was still lost to the world. He wondered how they had grown so fast, why they had to carry so much responsibility so young. But now was not the time for such thoughts. "Go son."

Sokka gave a curt nod. It was time. He climbed onto the snow leopard caribou's back, urging the beast forward and leaving home behind with only a single glance backwards.

**Author's Note:**

> A re-imagining of the events of AtLA. Among the obvious changes, there are also changes in ages/timeline of events. Thanks for reading. <3 Jenn


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